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Sandwiches, soda, and sports climb the Social Business Index

As if anticipating items we’ll find on coffee tables in living rooms across the country this Super Bowl Sunday, last week’s Social Business Index featured climbs from sandwich, soda, and sports brands: Subway, Dr. Pepper, and the NHL.

The index, produced by The Dachis Group, offers a real-time performance ranking of 30,000+ multinationals in social. Each week we take a look at the top twenty listings and call out those that made moves worth noting.

The NHL

Joe Pinaire

The NHL jumped four spots last week to claim rank as the world’s 52nd most social business. The main ingredient in its secret social sauce this go-round was occasioned by the start of the league’s 96th season as thirty teams took the ice.

Still, their social team is doing an exceptional job at connecting with their Facebook fans, making sure to engage fans of all teams with early season insights and questions; six posts of this nature earned roughly 10,000 fan engagements.

Pushing the puck forward, the NHL also launched (what seems like) a series of Google+ Hangouts where Fantasy Hockey experts answer fans’ questions. It’s encouraging to see the league active in the channel, as it’s one we don’t see many brands leveraging, but think they should be because it helps brand connect with and gather insights around their highly active and tech-savvy fans. The jury is still out on the efficacy of this effort, but anytime you see a company venture into a lesser-used channel you know that it’s committed to connecting with and providing value for their fans.

Subway

Charles Lim

Subway got even fresher this week, rising four points in the SBI, as a result of increased activity from the “foot long” controversy or what passionate Subway eaters around the world have noticed: The supposedly 12-inch sandwich is often as little as 11 inches!

The increased activity associated with this “discovery” has trigged waves of social activity that highlight the power, and risk, of passionate fandom. These people love their sandwiches so much that they feel shortchanged by natural fluctuations in the manufacturing process. Subway has recently released a statement in an effort to placate the Internet crowds, and now only time will tell if things will die down and if a “foot long” is truly a foot long.

Dr. Pepper

Lizzie Steen

The Dr. Pepper/Snapple Group rose in the SBI social ranks this week to occupy spot number 98. Their Facebook page, with an astonishing 13 million followers, makes the brand very popular on social. Just take a look at the numbers: Their two most popular posts collectively amassed 74,494 likes, 2,134 likes, and 2,295 shares. The first post incited follower participation with an ellipses preceded by: “If I had all the Dr. Pepper in the world…” The graphic attached to the post featured a vault with the soda infinitely stacked inside.

The second post began by saying, “It’s never too late…” but ended with “a Dr. Pepper.” The brand’s twist on the overused introductory phrase still managed to create high levels of engagement. Dr. Pepper’s popularity allows for the type of content repeatedly seen on its page: lighthearted, kitschy, and, as promised on the brand’s Facebook page, “Always One of a Kind.

Editor’s note: The Social Business Index, a free ranking compiled by The Dacchis Group, is based on an analysis of conversations on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and other social platforms.

It is based on the execution and effectiveness of businesses at driving outcomes such as brand awareness, content sharing, and advocacy.

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